Class 9th

PHYSICS
SOUND
Sound
• Sound is a form of energy which produces a sensation of hearing in our ears.
• The matter or substance through which sound is transmitted is called a Medium.

Sound Waves
• A wave is a disturbance that moves through a medium when the particles of the medium set neighboring particles
into motion.
• Sound waves are characterized by the motion of particles in the medium and are called mechanical waves.
• Compression : When a vibrating object moves forward, it pushes and compresses the air in front of it creating a
region of high pressure. This region is called a compression (C).
• Rarefaction : When the vibrating object moves backwards, it creates a region of low pressure called rarefaction.

Sounds needs a medium to travel

• Sound needs a material medium for its propagation. It does not travel through vacuum.

Types of Waves
• LONGITUDINAL WAVES : In these waves the individual particles of the medium move in a direction parallel
to the direction of propagation of the disturbance.
• TRANSVERSE WAVES : In a transverse wave particles do not oscillate along the line of wave propagation but
oscillate up and down about their mean position as the wave travels.

Characteristics of Sound Waves

• We describe a sound wave by its :
1. SPEED
2. AMPLITUDE
3. FREQUENCY

• A peak is called the crest and a valley is called the trough of a wave.
• The distance between two consecutive compressions (C) or two consecutive rarefactions (R) is called the
wavelength.
• The number of such oscillations per unit time is the frequency of the sound wave.
• The time taken by two consecutive compressions or rarefactions to cross a fixed point is called the time period of
the wave.
• The way in which the brain interprets the frequency of a sound is called Pitch.
• The faster the vibration of the source, the higher is the frequency and the higher is the pitch.
• The magnitude of the maximum disturbance in the medium on either side of the mean value is called the amplitude
of the wave.
• The loudness or softness of a sound is determined basically by its amplitude.
• The quality or timber of sound is that characteristic which enables us to distinguish one sound from another having
the same pitch and loudness.
• A sound of a single frequency is called a tone.
• The sound which is produced due to a mixture of several frequencies is called a note.
• The speed of sound is defined as the distance at which a point on a wave, such as a compression or a rarefaction,
travels per unit time.
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Intensity of Sound
• The amount of sound energy passing each second through the unit area is called the intensity of sound.

Echo
• If we shout or clap near a suitable reflecting object such as a tall building or a mountain, we will hear the same
sound again a little later. This sound which we hear is called an echo.
• Echoes may be heard more than once due to successive or multiple reflections.

Reverberation
• A sound created in a big hall will persist by repeated reflection from the walls until it is reduced to a value where it
is no longer audible. The repeated reflection that results in this persistence of sound is called reverberation.

Range of Hearing
• The audible range of sound for human beings extends from about 20Hz to 20000Hz.
• Sounds of frequencies below 20 Hz are called infrasonic sound or infrasound.
• Frequencies higher than 20 kHz are called ultrasonic sound or ultrasound.

SONAR
• Sound Navigation And Ranging Also known as echo-ranging.
• Uses ultrasonic waves.
• Measures distance, speed and direction of objects under water.
• Consists of a transmitter and detector.
• Used to locate underwater objects.
• Used to determine the depth of the sea.

Human Ear
• Outer Ear is called Pinna. It extends into the auditory canal.
• Middle Ear consists of the eardrum and bone ossicles.
• Inner Ear consists of the cochlea and three semicircular canals.
• Sound waves collected by the pinna. It passes through the auditory canal and reaches the eardrum.
• Transmission of waves by middle ear to inner ear.
• Amplification of vibrations by 3 bones.
• Cochlea converts sound waves to electrical signals.
• Auditory nerve sends these signals to the brain.

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